Berkman is coming off of the worst season of his 12-year career, split between the
Astros
and
New York Yankees
. He finished 2010 with an OPS under .800 for the first time in a career that saw him dip below .900 only once in a full season before in the 11 years prior.

Some of his struggles can probably be attributed to the diminished playing time he saw with the

Yankees
after being traded across leagues, though, and the
Rockies
are no doubt hoping that a return to the
National League
, regular playing time,and the thin air of Coors Field will all help revitalize the Big Puma's career.

The Rockies are also apparently hoping that being in the National League and thus able to offer him playing time in the field makes them a more attractive suitor than the
A's
, who likely want Berkman to DH.

He hasn't regularly played in the outfield since 2005, though, the Rockies must not be all that worried about how he'd fare in the outfield, because his poor showing from the right side of the plate against lefties indicates (just a .517 OPS in 2010) that he'd be a pretty poor platoon partner for Helton at first base.